Elbert County, Georgia

Elbert County, Georgia
Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,637. The county seat is Elberton. The county was established on December 10, 1790, and was named for Samuel Elbert.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.2%) is water. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
The northern half of Elbert County, north of a line made by following State Route 17 from Bowman southeast to Elberton, and then following State Route 72 east to just before the South Carolina border, and then heading south along the shores of Lake Richard B. Russell & Clarkes Hill to the county's southeastern tip, is located in the Upper Savannah River sub-basin of the larger Savannah River basin. The portion of the county south of this line is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.
Major highways
State Route 17
State Route 72
State Route 77
State Route 77 Connector
State Route 79
State Route 172
State Route 368
Adjacent counties
Anderson County, South Carolina (northeast)
Abbeville County, South Carolina (east)
McCormick County, South Carolina (southeast)
Lincoln County (southeast)
Wilkes County (south)
Oglethorpe County (southwest)
Madison County (west)
Hart County (north)
Franklin County (northwest)
Demographics
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,511 people, 8,004 households, and 5,770 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 9,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 66.94% White, 30.85% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 2.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,004 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,724, and the median income for a family was $34,276. Males had a median income of $27,221 versus $19,737 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,535. About 14.60% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.50% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 20,166 people, 8,063 households, and 5,604 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 9,583 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 65.9% white, 29.5% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.1% were American, 6.0% were Irish, 5.7% were English, and 5.5% were German.
Of the 8,063 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.5% were non-families, and 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 41.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,543 and the median income for a family was $35,550. Males had a median income of $31,556 versus $25,562 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,100. About 17.0% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 19,637 people, 7,559 households, and 5,065 families residing in the county.
Judiciary and government
Elbert County is part of the Northern Judicial Circuit of Georgia, which also includes the counties of Hart, Franklin, Madison, and Oglethorpe. Elbert County's governing authority, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners, has five Commissioners elected in districts, a Chairperson elected County-wide, and an appointed County Administrator.
Politics
Historical and cultural sites
Historical and cultural sites in Elbert County include the Nancy Hart cabin, the Dan Tucker gravesite, the Stephen Heard Cemetery, the Petersburg Township site, Vans Creek Church, the Elbert County Courthouse, the Elberton Seaboard-Airline Depot, the Rock Gym, the Granite Bowl, the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit, the Richard B. Russell Dam, the Elbert Theatre, Richard B. Russell State Park, and Bobby Brown Park. The Georgia Guidestones stood in Elbert County from 1980 until their destruction in 2022.
Communities
Cities
Bowman
Elberton
Census-designated place
Dewy Rose
Unincorporated communities
Hard Cash
Ruckersville
Ghost town
Petersburg
Notable people
Warren Akin Sr., member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Confederate States Congress
Milton Alexander, brigadier general during the Black Hawk War
William J. Alston, U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama Sentate
Richard E. Banks, physician and surgeon
William Barnett, U.S. House of Representatives
William Augustus Bell, academic and president of Miles College
Fred Bond Jr., tobacco industry representative and mayor Cary, North Carolina
Nathaniel J. Hammond, United States House of Representatives and Georgia Attorney General
Mecole Hardman, professional football player
Derek Harper, professional basketball player
Corra Mae Harris, journalist and war correspondent
Sampson Willis Harris, U.S. House of Representatives and Georgia House of Representatives
Nancy Hart, rebel heroine of the American Revolutionary War
William Henry Heard, clergyman and diplomat
R. H. Hunt, architect
Mammy Kate, enslaved women
Joseph Rucker Lamar, US Supreme Court justice
Otis Leavill, R&B singer, songwriter and record company executive
Daniel Parker, leader in the Primitive Baptist Church
Charles Tait, United States Senator and a United States district judge
Horace Tate, educator, activist, scholar, and politician
Daniel Tucker, Methodist minister, farmer, and ferryman as well as a captain during the American Revolution
Matthias Ward, lawyer and United States Senator from Texas.
William J. White, civil rights leader, minister, educator, and journalist
Thomas Simpson Woodward, brigadier general in the Georgia militia
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Elbert County, Georgia
Georgia Guidestones
References
External links
1790 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia (U.S. state) counties
Northeast Georgia
Counties of Appalachia
Populated places established in 1790